Silver Moon (Colors of the Moon #3)

Chapter 20

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Theo erupted the instant Kasey broke the spell cast over him and Zara. In a flash he diminished the distance between us and grabbed my shoulders. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't mark you right now!"

Despite his strong hold and obvious anger, I did nothing but stare back into his silver eyes. My brain was too busy trying to solve the puzzle of how Darlene had been able to channel magic. It shouldn't have been possible. Only I possessed the ability.

"Gabriela?" This time Theo's voice was much softer.

"Let her go," Kasey said from behind my back. "You can shout at her later."

"What happened?" He lifted one of his hands to nudge my chin upward while raking his eyes over every corner of my body.

Kasey's words flooded my ears as she began explaining what had happened in the square. Her voice flew into one of my ears and out through the other, while the rest of my mind was still spinning with all the unanswered questions.

"I've had enough of this witch." Theo let go of both my chin and my shoulders. Instead, he grabbed my upper arms and tugged me forward. "Let's go back to Silver Moon. We'll figure things out from there."

"I can't leave."

"Sure you can. I still have that stone of yours. You'll have a better view on things once you're away from this madness."

"No, she literally can't leave." Kasey plotted herself down onto the couch next to Vivian. "Both she and Darlene are prohibited from leaving Allium until the matter is resolved."

"What happens if the Darlene turns out to be telling the truth?" Rob asked from where he and Zara were still standing near the wall.

"That's never going to happen." Kasey shook her head.

She sounded completely convinced while I didn't feel so sure anymore. After all, I had felt her channel magic.

I didn't struggle when Theo pulled me over to an armchair. After he sat down, he pulled me onto his lap and nudged my head so it was resting on his shoulder. Then he began running his hand up and down my back.

While a silence stretched on, I found myself wondering what would happen if Darlene turned out to be telling the truth. If she became the High Priestess, then there was no way I could make her pay. Even if she was really involved in my mother's death. Was I really prepared to let her walk free?

"Do you realize that if Darlene's telling the truth we're second cousins?" Kasey mumbled while biting on one of her nails.

I hadn't even thought about that. If Darlene's claim about her grandmother was true, then the three of us were actually related.

"There's no way it's true," Kasey answered her own question. "My mother would have told me if she was cousins with your mother. No one would be stupid enough to hide a connection to your family."

I didn't know how to respond to that. Just like Kasey I doubted anyone would keep a connection to the family of High Priestesses a secret. But then how had Darlene been able to channel magic?

The living room felt like it was frozen in time until Effie flew through the front door. The way she was pressing her lips tightly together told me all I needed to know.

"It seems Darlene is telling the truth," she said. "At least partly."

"Which part?" Kasey was the fastest to respond.

With a loud sigh Effie sat down onto an empty armchair and then looked at me. "Her grandmother was Luciana's sister."

"But was she the younger or the older sister?" I asked.